Have not spent Rs 16 lakh in 2013 polls, claim ‘thrifty’ Koppal netas

KOPPAL: Polls are riddled with stories about candidates splurging crores on their campaigns. But, in Koppal, candidates seem to have been admirably thrifty. None of the candidates in the district claim to have spent even Rs 16 lakh during elections, the expenditure limit per contestant set by Election commission of India (ECI) for 2013 assembly elections, according to official sources.

In fact, all the five assembly constituencies in the district witnessed multi-cornered contest with Congress, BJP and JDS fielding their candidates in all of them. As many as 15 contestants were in the fray in Kanakagiri assembly constituency, followed by 14 in Koppal, 12 in Yelburga, nine in Gangavati and eight contestants were in fray in Koppal assembly constituency.

According to official sources, while JDS candidate from Gangavati Iqbal Ansari spent Rs 8,37,562, Congress candidate from Koppal Raghavendra Hitnal spent Rs 8,19,718, BJP candidate from Gangavati Paranna Munavalli spent Rs 7,94,057, Congress candidate from Kanakagiri Shivaraj Tangadagi spent Rs 7,43,008 and BJP candidate from Kushtagi Doddanagouda Patil spent Rs 7,28,540.

Similarly, Congress candidate from Gangavati H R Shrinath spent Rs 6,19,951, while BJP candidate from Koppal Sanganna Karadi spent Rs 5,96,401, JDS candidate Pradeepagouda Malipatil spent Rs 5,67,459, BJP candidate from Kanakagiri Basavaraj Dhadesagur spent Rs 5,67,355 and JDS candidate from Kushtagi K Sharanappa spent Rs 5,55,350.

Further, Congress candidate from Yelburga Basavaraj Rayareddy incurred expenditure of Rs 4,82,250, Congress candidate from Kushtagi Amaregouda Bayyapur spent Rs 4,32,181, BSR Congress candidate from Yelburga Naveen Gulagannavar spent Rs 4,14, 230 and BJP candidate from Yelburga Halappa Achar incurred expenditure of Rs 3,91,210.

The ECI has increased the poll expenditure limit to Rs 28 lakh per contestant for May 12 assembly elections, sources added.